BRADENTON, Fla. – The 2024 USL Academy Finals championship match is set as AC Connecticut and Indy Eleven punched their tickets with thrilling wins in their respective Semifinal matches on the third day of action at IMG Academy. The USL Academy Finals championship match will be streamed live on SportsEngine Play and kick off on Sunday, Dec. 8 at Noon ET. 

After a dramatic comeback victory over Miami FC after trailing 3-0 in the Quarterfinals, AC Connecticut had to weather some early pressure from the Richmond Kickers in the first half with AC Connecticut goalkeeper Luca Marinelli making a number of saves to preserve the clean sheet. Sam McCann then opened the scoring in the 50th minute after he received in the ball in the box and fired a shot that took a slight deflection off the covering defender to nestle in the bottom corner. AC Connecticut then doubled their lead only eight minutes later as Daniel Istambouli got on the end of a cross from Salvatore Zani to secure a 2-0 win and book the club’s place in the USL Academy Finals championship. 

“The one thing I’ll say about this group is they believe there’s goals in them and it’s one of the first groups I’ve coached where they fully believe they will win,” said AC Connecticut Head Coach Anthony Howard. “It’s a great accomplishment to get to the final, the level of competition here is outstanding, as it always is, and we knew that since it’s our fourth year so we knew what to expect. For us as a coaching staff, it’s kind of job done, we just want the boys to give their best and enjoy it tomorrow.”